DeRosa History

I am a man who goes straight to the point. And, by force of habit, I never look back and count the years I have spent making frames. I prefer to look ahead, because after half a century, I am still convinced that the bicycle has room for improvement. And, just has I have done up till now, in the future too I want to contribute to the evolution of this fascinating vehicle, which at the same time is so simple and so complicated.Ugo De Rosa

As a master craftsman, Ugo De Rosa and the DeRosa team (including sons Cristiano, Doriano and Danilo) hand-craft each DeRosa cycle that is made in their Milan factory.

After developing a passion for bicycle racing as a young boy, Ugo De Rosa (born 1934) opened his first business manufacturing racing bicycles in the early 50's. The quality of his work quickly developed a following amongst amateur racers and in 1958 Ugo De Rosa was asked to build a bike for Raphael Geminiani for the next Giro d'Italia.

During the 60's and 70's De Rosa cemented his reputation with the cycling elite by supplying cycles to the professional Faema, Tbac, Max Majer, Filotex and Sanson teams. During the 70's Uge De Rosa also accepted the role of official frame builder and mechanic for the Molteni team which was captained by Eddy Merckx. During this period, the Molteni team won nearly every major race, including the Giro d'Italia, Milano-san Remo, the World Championship and the Tour de France.

De Rosa's expertise was further acknowledged when Eddy Merckx established his own cycle brand - engaging Ugo De Rosa as a technical consultant.

Titanium bicycle frames were developed during the 1990's, with the Gewiss team achieving spectacular results with the new concept bikes. More recently DeRosa have sponsored the Aqua Sapone team in the Professional Continental Tour - the team has been very successful, winning many races and a number of stages in the Giro d'Italia. In December 2007 DeRosa announced thie sponsorship for a second team in the Professional Continental Tour. Team LPR is a Irish registered team that predominantly rode in Italy in 2008 and had the services of the 2007 Giro d'Italia champion Danilo Di Luca. For 2010 Team Aqua Sapone qualifies to ride in the UCI professional division alongside fellow newcomers Diquigiovanni (riding Guerciotti bikes) and Lance Armstrongs 'Radio Shack' team.

Today, the De Rosa family continues to build bikes with the same passion inspired by Ugo De Rosa when he started the business over 55 years ago.